Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-07-30


out--being 50 high up--offering any impedi
ment to the passage of light and air.
aWhat beautiful treels exclaimed Sir
Henry.
aYes, you are right; it is beautiful tree.
There Is not another like it in all the country
round, that | know of, = answered Mr.. Mac
kenzie. Il call it my watch tower. As you
see. have rope ladder fixed to the lowest
bough, and IL want to see anything that is
going on within fifteen miles or So all have
to do is to run up it with spyglass. But you
must be hungry, and I am sure the dinner is
cooked. Come in, my friends; it is but
rough place, but well enough for these savage
parts; and can tell you what we have got
q French cookla And he led the way ON to
the veranda,
As | was following him. and wondering
what on earth he could mean by this, there
suddenly appeared through the door that
opened on to the veranda from the house a
dapper little man, dressed in neat blue cot
ton suit, aud shoes made OF tanned hide, and
remarkable for bustling air and most enor-
nous black mustaches, shaped into an upward
curve, and coming to point for oil the world
like pair of buffalo horns.
@Madame bids me to say that dinner l.
saryed. Messeurs, my compliments" then
suddenly perceiving Umslopogaas, who was
lettering along after us, and playing with his
battleax, he threw up his hands in sstonish.
ment aAh, mais quel hommer' he calculated
in French, "quel savage affreux! Take but
note of his huge choppare and the great pit
in his bead"
aAy,n said Mr. Mackenzie, "what are you
talking about, Alphonse"
Talking about" replied the little French
man. his eyes Still fixed upon Umslopogaas,
whose general appearance seemed to fascinate
him; "why. | talk of him"-and he rudely
pointed-"of ce monsieur noir.n
At this everybody began TO laugh, and UNI
slopogaas, perceiving that he was the object
of remark, frowned ferociously for he had a
most lordly dislike of anything like a personal
liberty.
"Parbleul" said Alphonse, "he is angered-
he makes the grimace. like not his air. l
vanish" And he did with considerable rapid
ity.
Mr. Mackenzie joined heartily in the shout
of laughter which we INDUCED in HE is
queer Observation-Disclosures he said. by
and by will tell you his history; in the mean
while let us try his cooking"
"Might ask" said Sir Henry, after we had
eaten a most excellent dinner, show you came
to have French cook In these wildsP
aOh,o answered Mrs. Mackenzie, "he ar
rived here of his own accord about a year
ago, and asked to be taken into our service.
He had got into some trouble In France, and
fed to Zanzibar, where he found an APP
plication had been made by the French gov
eminent for his extradition. Whereupon he
rushed off up country, and fell in, when
nearly starved, with our caravan OF men,
who were bringing us our annual supply OF
goods, and was brought on here You should
get him to tell you the story"
When dinner was over we lit our pipes, and
Sir Henry proceeded to give our host
description of our journey up here, over
which he looked very grave.
at is evident to me-" he said, shat those
rascally Nasal are following you. and l am
very thankful that you have reached this
house in safety. do not think that they
will dare to attack you here. 1t is unfor-
tunate, though, that nearly all my men have
gone down to the coast with ivory and goods.
There are 200 of them in the caravan, and the
consequence is that have not more than
twenty men available for defensive purposes
in case they should attack us. But. still,
will just give few orders" and calling
black man who was lettering about outside
dressed him in Swahili dialect. The man
listened and then saluted and departed.
81 am sure devoutly hope that we shall
bring no such calamity upon you, said l, anx-
iously. when he had taken his seat again
Rather than bring those bloodthirsty villains
about your ears, we will move on and take
our chance"
"You win do nothing of the sort. If the
Nasal come they come, and there is an end
on it; and think we can give them pretty
warm greeting. / would not show any man
the door for all the Nasal in the world
.That reminds me-" said, N'the consul at
Lamu told me that he had a letter from you,
in which YOU said that a man had arrived here
who reported that he had come across a
white people in the interior. Do you think
that there was any truth in his storys ask
because have once or twice in my life heard
rumors from natives who have come down
from the far north of the existence Of such Il
race"
Mr.. Mackenzie, by way of answer, went
out of the room and returned, bringing with
him a most curious sword. 1t was long, ana
all the blade, which was very thick and
heavy, was, to within quarter OF an inch OF
the cutting edge, worked into an ornamental
pattern exactly as we work soft wood with
fretsaw, the steel, however, being invariably
pierced in such a way as not to interfere
with the strength of the sword. This in itself
was sufficiently curious, but what was stln
more SO was that all the edses Of the hollow
spaces cut through the substance OF the
blade were most beautifully inlaid with gold,
which was in some way that cannot under
stand welded ON to tue steel.
''TAea, said Mr.. Mackenzie, ''did you ever
see a sword like thatg"
We all examined i. aud shook our heads.
'Well, / have got it TO show you, because
this is what the man who said he had seen
the white people brought with him, and be-
cause it does more or less give an air of truth
TO what should otherwise have set down as
q lie. Look here; will tell you all that l
know about the matter, which is not much.
One afternoon, just before sunset, was sit
ting on the veranda, when poor, miserable,
starved looking man came limping up and